To Horvan Kojik
I hear you’re a man who can get into hard places.
Well, I have a challenge for you.
I want you to help me in a near-impossible rescue.
There’s a tiger in a glass cage, on the top floor of a Chicago skyscraper, and I want you to help me get it out of there.
If you think you’re up to it.
Let’s see.
You’ve got my contact details. Use them.
Rael Parton
Photojournalist
If this doesn’t get him interested, nothing will.
Rael typed the message, then checked it three times. He added his phone number at the bottom, then hesitated.
Am I crazy doing this?
He pushed the thought aside. Dellan needed him. That left him no other option. Rael hit Send.
He went downstairs and ordered another coffee; only this time he added a pastry. Then he went back upstairs and began the online search for another hotel. He had no idea how long he’d be staying in Chicago. That would depend on the result of his email.
He’d found a couple of possibilities when his phone rang. The screen said Unknown Caller, and his heartbeat sped up. It can’t be. Not that fast. His finger trembled as he clicked on Answer. “Hello?”
“Okay. You’re for real. I’ll grant you that. I looked you up. So tell me more about this job. Seriously?” A rich, deep chuckle filled his ears. “You want me to rescue a tiger from the top floor of a Chicago skyscraper? Why in hell would you want to do that? Or are you one of those activist nutjobs who goes around liberating bunnies from testing labs? Not that I have anything against bunnies, you understand. They’re very tasty.”
Rael couldn’t argue that point. “Yes, I’m being serious.” He struggled to remain calm, but his heartbeat had quickened for some reason. “And as for why I want to do this, I can’t explain that. Not over the phone.” He wasn’t even sure he could explain it face-to-face. “But this whole conversation is fruitless if you can’t do it in the first place.”
There was silence for a moment; then Horvan’s deep voice rumbled over the line. “If I can do it?” He snorted. “I’m going to let that go, because you obviously don’t know me, but I promise I can get the job done. I just have this little quirk that I like to know why I’m doing something.”
“Then we need to meet.” Rael had no clue why he was so agitated.
“You’re still in Chicago?”
“Yes.”
“Okay. I’m about five hours’ drive from there. Let’s see, it’s….” A pause. “Eleven thirty. How about we meet at six this evening?”
“You’re… you’re coming today?” Rael’s chest tightened.
Horvan chuckled. “What can I say? You got me interested. I wanna know more. I’ve got a place in Chicago. I’ll send you the address. You come alone, okay?”
“Who would I bring?” The only person Rael knew in Chicago was Kyle, and he certainly wasn’t bringing him.
“Where are you staying in Chicago?”
“Funny you should ask that. I was looking for a hotel when you called.”
“Then stop looking. You can bunk with me.”
Rael stilled. “But… you don’t know a thing about me.”
“I know you’re a real person. I’ve seen your articles. And while I would never normally do this, for some reason my gut tells me I can trust you. I always go with my gut. Plus, I know fifty-seven ways to kill a man, so I think I’m more of a danger than you are.” He snickered.
Rael couldn’t argue with that, especially as his gut was telling him the same thing. “How do I contact you? In case I get held up or something goes wrong?”
“Nothing is going to go wrong, but I’ll message you from my personal cell, all right? That way you’ll have a number. In the meantime, I’m gonna make a few calls. If this goes ahead, I’m gonna need my team, so it’s best if I give them a heads-up.”
“Wait.” Rael’s heart pounded. “Don’t do that yet.”
“Why not? This isn’t the kind of job I can do on my own.”
“Yeah, I get that, but….” Rael had to be honest. “I can’t pay for a whole team. Hell, I’m not even sure if I can pay you. I didn’t expect you to agree to see me so fast.”
Silence.
Fuck. Rael knew he’d blown it. “I guess that means you’re not coming, right?”
A heavy sigh greeted him. “What is it about you? If anyone else came out with that, I’d have hung up already. But I so much as consider ending this call, and it’s like there’s this voice in my head yelling at me, saying I’d be crazy to do that.” Another pause. “And I find that as intriguing as your email, so I guess I’m still coming to Chicago. See you at six.” Then he disconnected.
Rael stared at his phone in amazement. What the fuck? This was surreal. Then his phone buzzed, and there was a text from Horvan, from his personal number, with an address.
That left Rael with hours to kill. The temptation to go back to Global Bio-Tech to see Dellan one more time was huge, but he knew he couldn’t risk doing that. The last thing he wanted was to arouse suspicion.
One option was doing a little sightseeing, and thankfully the predicted rain had been a no-show. The temperature was cool, but at least there was no snow. Rael had left that behind in Salmon, Idaho. And Chicago in March was kind of pretty—the clouds reflecting in the towers of glass and the occasional burst of sunlight sparkling on the river.
Not that Rael was in the mood to play the tourist. He simply wanted the hours to fly by until he got to meet Horvan.
He’s not the only one who’s intrigued.
Of course, what Rael really wanted was to shift. He’d been aching to do it since seeing Dellan in that cage. It would have to wait. When this was all over and he’d gotten Dellan out of there, he was going to head back home to his forest.
And if fate were with him, he wouldn’t be alone, and the Salmon-Challis National Forest would gain a tiger. That brought him a smile. The two of us, running together, play-fighting, swimming…. Thinking about it made him glow inside.
His phone buzzed, and he swiped the screen. Mom. “Hey.”
“How did it go this morning? Did you see Dellan again? Is he all right?”
Rael told her everything he could about the morning’s encounter, and as he’d expected, she burst into tears when he related how Dellan had called him mate. “No crying,” he said softly. “I have a plan.” Well, the germ of one.
That stopped her tears. “You do?”
“Uh-huh. I’m meeting someone tonight who may be able to help me. He’s… he’s done this sort of thing before.”
Mom chuckled. “Oh really? Sounds like a very handy man to have around. But make sure you stay safe, okay?”
Rael said nothing. If Horvan was going into that building, Rael intended accompanying him, and that had the possibility of being distinctly unsafe.
“Rael Alexander Parton, I know you. What are you up to?”
“Mom—”
“I’m wasting my breath. He’s your mate. You’re going to do whatever it takes to get him out, and I suppose that might be dangerous. Forget I said anything.”